From the very first episode of ABC's Nashville , Juliette Barnes and Avery Barkley have had a special connection. They went from reluctant bandmates to actual friends and romantically-involved lovers. Avery was the one person Juliette could be herself with, but it hasn't been smooth sailing since the duo finally kissed and made their relationship official last season. But even after the events of Season 2 and the first few episodes of Season 3, will Juliette and Avery get back together? They seriously should, but let's give Avery some time to get over Juliette's betrayal first — and Juliette time to figure out her own feelings, especially since Avery's apparent hook-up with a new Bluebird Cafe waitress.
In a moment of weakness, Juliette had sex with sleazy record exec Jeff Fordham at the end of the second season, and then found herself pregnant. Oh, baby. In last week's episode it was revealed that the baby is apparently Avery's, but even so, the crooner's gonna need some space to deal with his heartbreak — and maybe write a song or two about it (hey, it's Nashville). "It takes people some time to really clear their heads and try to look at something from a more objective place," Jonathan Jackson, who plays Avery, told TV Guide about the relationship. "And whether or not Avery's going to be able to do that, I don't really know. But at least initially, he's just completely heartbroken."
But once that time has passed, I can see a at least three ways these Bluebird Cafe lovebirds will find themselves back in each others' arms.
The Baby
Well, this one's the obvious one. Despite their recent epic fight, Avery might come around once he knows he's the most likely baby-daddy. He may want to be part of the tyke's life and do the old-fashioned honorable thing and insist they get married, so the press doesn't make a huge deal about the baby being born out of wedlock. But can they overcome Avery's new-found attraction to Bluebird waitress Nadine? I'm hoping that's just a very short-lived revenge rebound.
But the baby won't be the only thing tying these two together.
The Music
Before they were even friends, Avery was a roadie on Juliette's tour and they found a common bond through work — the music. He encourages her on stage like no one else can and she's not close with many members of her band. When Juliette's audience was holding up signs that read "Home Wrecker," Avery was the one who stood by her and kept her singing her heart out. Just with a look, they seem to get each other through the music. That's a hard bond to break.
The Friendship
Most of all, Juliette and Avery were friends first. The fact that they had transitioned from bandmates to actual friends took them by surprise too, but Avery soon became the one guy who Juliette felt she could count on. The wild child even (gasp) cared what he thought about her. That's saying something for the reckless and impulsive singer who tends to do first and regret later. She even insisted she didn't believe in love — that is, until she and Avery got together.
But here's hoping these two can forgive each other and dive back into the relationship we all enjoyed watching so much.
Images: Mark Levine/ABC; sundaystorms, whentherightonecomesalong, barkleyandbarnes/Tumblr
